Miroslav Peric’s work spans continents and decades. It’s fitting, then, that his most recent gallery Exhibit “time” deals with these issues intentionally.

Miroslav’s artistic journey began over 35 years ago in the former Yugoslavia. Growing up as an artist in the East informed his art in many ways.

“It was interesting to meet people comparing photography between East and West,” Miroslav says, “In the East we were progressive and had different ideas, to make up for the fact that we didn’t have the ability to compete with the quality of our camera or materials, that they had in the West. Photography needs money. We didn’t have it. So we had to be inventive. We had to see things differently.”

This scrappy, bootstrapping style served Miroslav well, gaining him exhibitions in prestigious galleries in Austria and Germany. He moonlighted by doing graphic design for theatre productions and album covers for local rock bands. Because there was no option for studying photography at Miroslav’s college he opted to pursue art history instead, and eventually became qualified as an engineer.

In 2001 Miroslav moved to California. The art scene here was different than what he was accustomed to in Europe. “In California people try to make a career out of their art, so they become really good. You have to be professional if you’re going to make it. In Europe it’s different. Well, my experiences with Europe are 35 years old. So maybe it’s not the same now, but back then there were a lot more amateurs, than you have here.”

Time is something that has affected Miroslav profoundly. His current exhibit entitled, “Time(s)” is currently on display at a hotel near Joshua Tree National Forest –a place he adores.  The concept behind the exhibit is multifaceted and interactive.

To begin with, the art is being displayed outdoors where it is exposed to the elements. This is because in Miroslav’s native language, Serbo-croatian , the word for “time” and the word for “weather” are the same. The pictures are intended to interact with nature and experience a kind of natural weathering process that comes with time.

The subject matter was inspired by the passing of Miroslav’s mother. “It’s hard to imagine that you’re losing someone who lives so far away. I felt guilty that I didn’t spend enough time with her, or thank her for everything, or tell her that I love her enough.  A few weeks after her funeral. I wrote a message to her of the things I wish I had told her. I put it in a bottle and I carried it with me. I took pictures of it. Then I layered several other pictures on top of that one.  One layer of flowers. Like flowers for her grave.”

Some of the images are interconnected. Some of them are personal narratives for Miroslav himself, and others will make their meaning clear to the casual observer. In any case, they are intended to be interacted with, literally.

“I wanted to expose the images to the weather, and people, and the desert. All outside. I wanted it to be interactive. So on opening day I had visitors take part. I had them do some amazing things and write poetry over the photos. They added sketches over them. Every day the exhibition changes.”

In addition to the outdoor art, Miroslav is also displaying some of his images on aluminum prints indoors.

The whole project is scheduled to go on through mid January. To learn more, or to see the exhibit for yourself, please visit Miroslav’s website: gentleshadow.com.

To learn more about unconventional art gallery displays, please visit prolabdigital.com.